Life-boat.



J. E. ALLEN.

LIFE BOAT.

. APPLICATlON FILED DEC. I1, 1912. 1 ,299,282. Patented Apr. 1,1919.

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APPLICATION FILED. DEC-L191?- Patented Apr. 1,1919.

UNITED STATES PATEN O IQ.

JOHN E. ALLEN, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, 'ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 JOHN J.

CROSBY, or JERSEY oI'rY,

NEW JERSEY.

LIFE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

Application filed December 11, 1917. Serial No. 206,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJOHN E. ALLEN, a subject of the King of England, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco-and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Life-Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a boat which is primarily intended to be carried by vessels and employed as a life-boat in case of a collision or the like, although the construction of the boat'is such that it may be advantageously employed for other purposes and also renders the boat an improvement over the boat disclosed in the Patent #960,479 granted me by the United States on June 7, 1910.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a boat of this character which may be steered from either end and propelled over the surface of the water either manually, or by sail and has its hull and superstructure so constructed as to render the boat practically non-capsizable and sinkable.

Another object of the invention is to provide the boat with a hull having false sides with each false side comprising a plurality of plates ofconcavo-convexed shape in cross section which not only prevent capsizing of the boat but provide exteriorly of the hull a plurality of compartments which are filled with buoyant material to prevent the hull from becoming injured through collisions with other objects.

Another object of the invention is to provide the hull with bilge keels the Shape of which is such as 'to positively prevent the rolling of the boat in rough water.

Another object of the invention is to provide the hull with stabilizing fins which assist the boat to rise from a trough in the sea and thus prevent the bow of the boat being buried in an on-corning wave.

tions,

lVith these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The preferred embodiment of the inven tion has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, although no restriction is necessarily made to the precise details of construction therein shown, as changes, alteraand modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a life-boat constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the super-structure of the boat.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the boat.

through the waist tion of one of the observation towers to clearly illustrate the construction of the latch used in connection with the door of the towers.

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective View of a portionof the super-structure of the boat to clearly show the construction of the latch associated with the doors therein.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view through one of the ventilators.

Like characters of reference denote cor responding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail the letter A designates a life-boat which when constructed in accordance with the invention includes a hull 15 of the usual cross sectional shape and with the sides of the hull gradually curving toward each other adjacent the bow and stern of the boat. Mounted on the hull 15 is a super-structure 16 which extends beyond the sides of the hull and has its sides curving upwardly and inwardly from the gunwales of the boat to a horizontal port-ion of the super-structure which serves as a deck for the boat.

The hull 15 is provided with false sides 17 which project beyond the gunwales of the boat and incline downwardly and inwardly from the gimwales to the bilge. Each false side 17 of the hull comprises a pair of plates 18 which extend longitudinally of the hull from stem and stern and are of concavo-convexed shape in crosssection. The plates 18 are spaced from the sides of the hull by planking 19 with which the plates are connected to provide between the plates and hull compartments 20. The plates 18 have their convex faces confronting the sides of the hull, so that the plates curve inwardly between the planking 19 to enable the false sides of the boat to obtain a purchase on the sea in rough weather and prevent the capsizing of the boat. The compc rtments 20 are filled with a buoyant filler such as that disclosed in my application for patent executed December 1, 1917, as by filling the compartments with such material the buoyancy of the boat is not only materially increased but injury to the hull prevented should the boat collide with other objects.

Within the hull 15 are a pair of partitions 23 and 24 which are arranged respectively adjacent the bow and stern of the boat and extend from the keel to the deck to provide each end of the boat with a plurality of compartments 25 supplied with suitable draining means 26. The lowermost compartment 25 at each end of the boat is filled with huoyant material while the other of the compartments 25 are employed as air chambers.

Interposed between the partitions 23 and 24 are a plurality of transversely extending and spaced partitions 27 which have con nected therewith and with the sides of the hull, a false flooring 28 above which is arranged the floor 2 9 of the boat. The par titions 27, false flooring 28 and floor 29 provide the hull with a plurality oii lower and upper compartments 30 and 31. The compartments 31 are employed as receptacles for water, provisions and the like while the compartments 30 are filled with buoyant material which prevents the false flooring being damaged should the hull of the boat be pierced below the false sides 17. I

Access to the compartments 31 may be had through suitable openings in the flooring 29 and these openings are closed by removable covers 32.

The curved portions of the super-structure 16 are provided with spaced ports 33, upon opposite sides of which are door-ways.

The door-ways are closed by doors 34 with each door comprising a plate, the opposite ends of which extend beneath the flanges on a track 35 secured to the superstructure 16. The rails of the tracks 35 are connected at intervals with ties 36 which limit the sliding movement of the doors 34 and some of these ties are provided with slots 37. The doors 34 may be held in closed position by a latch 38engageable with the slotted ties 36 and provided with a handle 39 accessible from either side of the door for the operation of the latch.

Extending above the deck of the boat A adjacent its bow and stern are observation towers 40 provided at the top with openings 41 to afford access of the interior of the boat, or to the deck in rou h weather.

The towers 40 which are cylindrical in shape are provided with tracks, the rails 42 of which are channeled and incline from the top of the towers to the deck. The openings 41 in the towers are closed by circular plates 43 which extend within the channels in the rails 42 and have fixed thereto tapered blocks 44. The blocks 44 lie within the channels in the rails 42 and when the plates 43 are in position to close the openings 41 wedge these plates firmly against the tops of the towers 410. Each plate 43 has pivotally mounted thereon a latch 45 provided with handles 46 arranged u pon opposite sides of the plate, so that these latches which lock the plates in position to close the openings 41 may be operated either from the towers or the deck.

The boat A is provided with a center tower 47 which is provided with a track and a closure plate identical in construction with the tracks and closure plates used in connection with the towers 40.

To permit the rudder of the boat A to be opera-fed from either the bow or the stern of the boat I provide the rudder with a rack 48, the teeth of which mesh with the teeth on a pinion 49. The pinion 49 is fixed to the outer end of a shaft 50 at the stern of the boat which is provided at its end with a steering wheel 51 within convenient reach of a person observing the surface of the sea through the tower 40 adjacent the stern of the boat. The wheel 51 is provided with a drum 52 about which is wound a continuous cable 53 trained over pulleys on the under side of the deck and engaged with a drum on a steering wheel 54 adjacent the forward observation tower 40.

To enable the boat A to be manually propelled over the surface of the water a shaft 55 is mounted in suitable bearings on the floor 29 and is provided at intervals throughout its length with beveled gears 56. The beveled gears 56 mesh with similar gears 57 at the lower ends of shafts 58. The shafts 58 are mounted to turn in suitable hearings on posts 59 arranged between spaced and transversely extending seats 60 in the hull 15. Each shaft 58 is provided at its upper end with a beveled gear 61 which is in mesh with a similar gear 62 on a shaft 63 rotatably mounted in a post 59. Each shaft 63 is provided with crank handles 64 by means of which the occupants of the seats 60 may cause the rotation of the shaft 55 which is suitably connected with the propeller shaft 65.

The seats 60 are so arranged with relation to the doors 34- that if desired these doors may be opened to allow the occupants of the seats 60 to propel the boat A over the sur face of the water with cars provided for the purpose.

When the sea permits, the boat A may be propelled over the surface of the water by sails 66 which are connected with a mast and the boom associated therewith. The mast comprises a pair of pivotally connected mast sections 67 and 68. The mast section 68, which is arranged above the deck is provided with a sleeve 69 which when slid over the open end of the mast section 67 holds the mast section 68 in a Vertical position. The mast section 68 and sleeve 69 have connected therewith ropes 70 which are engaged with cleats on the sides of the towers 40, so that the mast and sails may be raised and lowered from these towers.

Extending above the deck of the vessel A are ventilators each of which comprises a pair of ventilator sections7l and 72. The

ventilator sections 71 are fixed to the vessels deck and have their curved portion extending within the ventilator sections 72. The ventilator sections 72 prevent the seas which sweep over the deck from passing within the vessel A and when the water is calm the ventilator sections 72 may he slid over the curved aortions of the ventilator sections 71 to render the ventilators more effective for Ventilating purposes. Each ventila-tor section is provided with a bafile which comprises a sleeve 73 at one end of which is a circumferentially extending flange 74. The flange 74 is secured to the inner wheel of the ventilator section below Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner a plurality of drained openings 75. Arranged above the battle is a conical deflector 7 6 which prevents any water which may gain access to the ventilator section 71 from entering the sleeve 73 although the circulation of air through the ventilator is not restricted to any extent by the deflector.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is apparent that a boat has been provided which is practically non-sinkable or capsizable and so constructed as to render the boat hull sufiicient for the purposes for which it was intended.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is:

1. A boat having bifurcated keels on its hull, false sides on the hull above the water line, a super-structure having its base disposed between said false sides andthe hull,

and inclined stabilizing fins on the hull inclining upwardly and forwardly from the water line.

2. A boat having a hull provided with false sides extending from the stem to the stern of the boat, a strip extending throughout the length of the gunwales of the boat to space the upper edges of the false sides from the hull and a superstructure mounted upon the spacing strip.

3. A boat having a hull provided with false sides extending from the stem to the stern of the boat, a strip extending from the stem to the stern of the boat, a strip extend ing throughout the length of the gunwales of the boat upon each side of the hull to space the upper edge of the false sides from the hull, a superstructure mounted upon the spacing strips and observation towers located upon the superstructure.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN E. ALLEN.

e! Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

